Houpu Jingting

Houpu Jingting

Houpu Jingting is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.

Houpu Jingting is located in the central-southern part of Jin Ting Village. It was dug during the Chunxi era (1174–1189) of the Southern Song Dynasty by a local resident surnamed Xu, a descendant of Xu Kui, a northern-born martyr who fought against the Jin invaders. Although the well curb is only 40 centimeters from the water surface — making it easy to lift water with a bucket — the Xu family opted for complexity over simplicity by using a pulley system, which was not common in the south at the time, reflecting their adherence to northern lifestyle practices. In the Dade era (1297–1307) of the early Yuan Dynasty, a local resident named Jiang Di built a well pavilion over the twin wells. Jiang Di was the second-generation Jiang family member to have relocated to Houpu. Originally a general in the Southern Song army, he was later summoned by the Yuan Dynasty and granted the military title of Wude General. After retiring to Houpu, he built the “Black Mansion” residence as well as various lane gates around the village, added the well pavilion, and paved village roads with bluestone slabs. In the third year of the Ming Dynasty’s Tian Shun era (1459), the Jiang family renovated the structure; in the ninth year of the Qing Dynasty’s Tongzhi era (1870), it was renovated again by a local resident surnamed Fei; in the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), another local resident surnamed Xu carried out further renovations; and in May 1998, it underwent another round of restoration.

The well and pavilion are now well-preserved. Spring water still flows, and the well remains a primary public water source for the village. The curbs of the twin wells, along with their bases, were carved from a single piece of bluestone. The base measures 2.22 meters in length and 1.2 meters in width. The right well curb currently stands 25 centimeters high, with four grooves inside the rim — each 2.5 to 3 centimeters wide and 2 to 2.5 centimeters deep — formed by the abrasion of early thick ropes. The left well curb is 32 centimeters high and also shows three rope marks. All these grooves face the same direction, indicating they were caused by long-term friction from the pulley ropes. The curbs are extremely smooth yet vary in height. The pavilion faces east, has a square floor plan, and features a hip-and-gable roof. It is 3.3 meters wide and 3.8 meters tall in total. Four stone pillars stand at the corners, made of octagonal-section bluestone, each 2.52 meters high — these are relics from the Yuan Dynasty.